


Mother’s Day

by SneetchesToo



Category: Code Black (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family, Mother’s Day, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 05:09:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18804349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SneetchesToo/pseuds/SneetchesToo
Summary: Mother’s Day was certainly not a holiday Leanne Rorish ever thought she’d be celebrating after her accident. And yet, every year, the holiday seemed to mean more and more to her than the year before.





	Mother’s Day

**Author's Note:**

> *This is totally random, but I couldn’t help myself.

Mother’s Day certainly wasn’t something that Leanne Rorish ever thought about celebrating.

Not before she had kids and really not even after.

But after she lost her kids, it was the farthest thing from her mind.

And she never pictured herself being on the receiving end of those pretty fresh picked flowers or hand drawn cards ever again.

But eventually that all changed.

And every year, the holiday seemed to mean more and more to her than the year before.

— — —

It had all begun to change because one little girl walked into her life.

And she had never imagined being the little girl’s step-mother.

In fact, she had never imagined being a mother again.

Not after everything she had been through.

Not after she had lost everything.

But when Ethan had come along and that had all changed.

Because with Ethan came Gracie and with Gracie came a piece of her heart that she had thought was missing.

-

The first time Ethan had asked her out she had said ‘no’.

She wasn’t looking for a boyfriend or even a good time.

She was just doing her thing and minding her business and she was just fine with that.

But then he was smiling at her from across the nurse’s station and telling her that it didn’t need to mean anything.

He just wanted to get to know her.

He just wanted her to be able to be herself and have a little fun.

It had taken him four attempts before she finally said ‘yes’.

And when he picked her up on that fateful Friday night she had been shocked to see a head of brown curls in the back seat.

“This is Gracie.” Ethan had said softly. “She’s gonna be joining us.”

“Okay.” Part of her wanted to be upset about the surprise, but then there was a smile beaming back at her in the rear view mirror and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling back.

-

Gracie had stolen her heart that night and that had been all she wrote.

They had quickly become best friends and while she took her relationship with Ethan much more slowly, she welcomed the little girl into her life with open arms.

She had been thankful for the addition of the girl to her life.

And when her first Mother’s Day after meeting the adorable tot rolled around, she had felt slightly broken when the girl had handed her flowers and a card.

“Thank you for being kind of like my mommy.” The smile on the five year old’s face had been all she needed to see to know that it was totally worth it.

“You’re welcome Gracie.” She had whispered as she wrapped her arms tightly around her, pressing a kiss to her curls as she fought back tears.

It had been four years since anyone had wished her a Happy Mother’s Day.

And for once, that thought didn’t make her heart hurt.

— — —

A month and a half later Leanne had been shocked when Ariel had walked back into her life.

It certainly was the last thing she was expecting, especially given how they ended things the last time.

But there the teen was, all broken and scared and looking every bit as young as she had been two years ago.

She had been hesitant to take her in, to give her a home, a safe place to stay, but there had been a tug at her heart that told her she needed this just as much as the girl did.

Ethan had been supportive and Gracie had been smitten and that had been all she had needed in order to know that this was the right choice for them all.

So after they had all healed and recovered and getting back to what she assumed normal felt like she had sat down with a lawyer and a social worker and she had signed papers to make the girl hers.

-

The first few months had been rough on them all.

Ariel struggled with adapting to having a home life that didn’t consist on complete chaos and pain.

Gracie struggled to understand that her new “sister” wasn’t in fact as excited about her presence as she was.

Ethan acted like things were fine, taking everything in stride like he was known to do.

But she knew something was off, that something was bugging him, and she hated it.

They had struggled to find a rhythm that worked for them all.

But eventually they found something that worked for them.

And from there, their little family had blossomed and bloomed into something more than she could have imagined.

-

The Mother’s Day after taking in Ariel she had been shocked when she had woken up to find both of her girls snuggled into bed with her, their arms wrapped around her tightly.

It had been five years since she had woken up to a scene as beautiful and loving and it made her heart race.

She had dozed off and on for a while before Ethan made his way into the room, a smile on his face as he leaned against the door frame.

“Happy Mother’s Day.” He whispered.

“Thank you.” She whispered back, a smile forming on her lips as she watched Ariel stir beside her.

The teen beamed back up at her before snuggling closer and she let out a soft sigh as she held her close.

She had never felt more like a mother to the girl than she did in that very moment.

— — —

Just shy of two years later she had gotten the shock of a lifetime one winter morning.

Her eyes had gone wide and her heart had started to beat rapidly and she couldn’t think straight.

The two pink lines on the little palm size stick stared back at her and she suddenly felt her whole world start to spin.

It had been Ariel who had found her on the floor of the bathroom a few minutes later.

Her head in her hands and her eyes full of tears.

“Mom?” The teen hadn’t seemed shocked at the discovery of the object in her hand. “Are you really pregnant?”

“Apparently.” She hadn’t been expecting this.

She thought she had the stomach flu that both girls and Ethan had had.

She thought it was stress of work and the move and having just returned from Disney.

But she certainly never thought it was a baby making her feel this way.

-

Ethan had been over the moon when she had told him.

And Gracie had cried happy tears and begged for a little sister.

They had done their best to explain to her that it didn’t work like that, but part of her prayed for another girl too.

Not that she wanted to torture Ethan like that.

But because if he was anything, it was a girl dad, and he was pretty damn good at it.

-

Mother’s Day rolled around that year and instead of celebrating it at home with breakfast in bed and flowers from the girls and a nice dinner out with friends Leanne had celebrated it in a very different way.

For at 3:45 that Sunday morning she had given birth to the newest member of their family.

A little girl.

Beautiful and perfect and tiny.

Hadley Mae Willis came into the world in a whirlwind of emotion, weighing in at exactly seven pounds and twenty inches long.

Ethan had cried like a baby when they had laid her little body against her chest.

And she had been unable to stop her tears as she had cradled their daughter close, not caring one bit that she had just been in labor for over thirty hours.

-

That afternoon the door to her room had pushed open and her other two girls had entered the room slowly, their eyes going wide at the sight of the tiny baby in their mother’s arms.

“Happy Mother’s Day mama.” Gracie had whispered to her softly, a big smile on her face as Ariel lifted her onto the bed beside her.

“Thank you baby.” She watched as the little girl reached out and patted her baby sister on the head.

“Happy Mother’s Day mom.” Ariel placed a kiss to her head as she sat on her other side, her arm going out to wrap around her shoulders.

“Thank you love.” She pressed a kiss to the teen’s head just as Ethan pushed his way through the door, a handle of balloons in his hands, a giant smile on his face.

“Happy Mother’s Day babe.” He said softly as he dropped the bouquet into the nearby chair before moving toward the bed.

“Thank you Ethan.” She whispered back, her eyes locking with his as he sat at the foot of the bed, his hand reaching out to pat her leg.

This had by far been the best Mother’s Day she could remember.

— — —

Two years later she had been halfway through filling out invitations for Ariel’s high school graduation party when she felt a wave of sadness take over her.

It wasn’t because she was planning for the girl’s graduation.

Or because she was beginning to slowly help the girl pack up her belongings so that she could move into her dorm in the fall.

No, rather, it was because it hit her that she should be filling out the cards for Eli’s graduation party instead.

“Everything okay love?” Ethan’s question was soft, his eyes searching her face as he stopped just inside the door to the office.

“Yeah.” She whispered as she stopped and set her pen down. “Just… thinking.”

“Missing them?” He also seemed to know when Eli and Caitlin were on her mind, even when she didn’t say a word.

“Is it wrong of me too?” She always felt guilty when it happened.

She had a good life, a life that was almost better than the one she had before her accident.

She had found a loving partner in Ethan, a man who cherished her and spoiled her and made her feel like the most desirable woman in the world.

Sure they broke all the rules and had a baby before they even lived together, much less before they were married.

But she loved him nonetheless.

And she had three beautiful daughters who meant more to her than anything in this world.

And while Ariel wasn’t hers biologically she had grown to love the seventeen year old more than she ever thought possible.

And Gracie reminded her everyday just how special she was to her, and that she was, in fact, her mama.

And Hadley Mae had grown into the sassiest toddler she had ever met and she was so proud to be her mother.

But every now and then she found herself thinking about Eli and Caitlin and who they would be if they were still with her today.

“I’d more concerned if you didn’t.” Ethan’s words broke her from her thoughts and she sighed.

“Eli would be graduating high school too.” She wondered if he would have played sports like he always wanted too.

If he would have been a baseball player like his grandfather or a runner like his dad.

She wondered if he would have decided to go to college or join the military or work straight out of school. 

“I’m sure he would’ve been a great young man.” She felt her heart skip a beat at his words.

“I felt like I lost such a big piece of who I was when I lost them.” She whispered. “Being a mom… it… it was the most important part of my life. It was everything to me.”

“It still is.” He whispered back, offering her a smile as he moved further into the room. “You’re the best mom in the world.”

“You’re just saying that because tomorrow’s Mother’s Day.” She had almost completely forgotten about the holiday being the following day.

Until she had looked at the calendar to confirm an appointment for Hadley Mae earlier.

“No.” He moved to stand in behind her, his hands going to her shoulders as he spoke. “I’m saying that because it’s true. You’re the best mother and the girls love you more than anything. We’re all lucky to have you.”

“I’m the lucky one.” She had never thought she would get a second chance at motherhood.

Or a third, or a fourth.

But she was incredibly thankful for the chance to start over with Ethan and her girls.

“I love you.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck. “And your girl’s love you. And Eli and Caitlin loved you. And you loved them. And nothing changes that.”

She nodded her head as she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

“I love you more.” She whispered softly.

“Mama?” She heard Gracie’s voice before she saw her and she wiped at her face quickly.

“Yes baby?” It still shocked her to this day that the nine year old seemed to love her like her no other.

“Can we get tacos for dinner?” Ethan’s chuckle made her smile and she nodded her head.

As much as they should stay home and not eat out, again, she couldn’t say ‘no’ to the little curly headed girl.

And when she realized that she should most definitely be cherishing every moment with her girls she knew just what to say.

“Of course love. Go get your sister’s ready.” She watched as the girl beamed back at her before racing back down the hallway to find the other two members of their family.

“Like mother, like daughter.” Ethan whispered into her ear before pressing a kiss against the skin.

“Thank you.” That was the biggest compliment she had gotten recently and it made her heart soar.

She knew that she was the only mother that Gracie had ever known and she was fine with that.

She loved the girl like she was her own and that would never change.

“Happy Mother’s Day Leanne.” Her chair turned slightly as Ethan came into view, a giant smile on his face as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips.

She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly as she pulled him close, a smile breaking out on her face as she heard a chorus of ‘yay tacos’ coming from down the hall.

Their family may have been a little mismatched and she may have had to go through tragedy after tragedy to get to where she was today, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

Her girls were entire world and she had never been happier than being their mother.

**Author's Note:**

> *Don’t forget to comment :)


End file.
